[8] In 1746 the Admiralty authorised Admiral Anson to combine all the Channel commands into the Western Squadron, based in Plymouth.

[9] During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) the Western Squadron was one of Britain’s most critical military assets frequently patrolling [10] the entrance to the English Channel and making regular sweeps into the Bay of Biscay and the waters off Ushant.

The majority of the navy’s manufacturing capacity and dry-docking facilities were concentrated on the South East coast which had expanded to meet the demands faced by the Anglo-Dutch wars.

Having both of these facilities allowed Western Squadron to grow fast and by the early 1740s it had become the navy's main battle fleet.

[22] The British were concerned with maintaining control of their own sea lanes – particularly the English Channel - while restricting the activities, both military and economic, of their rivals and foes.